The Return to Hogwarts

Hibiscus's bright eyes held a hint of probing as she spoke to Amosta in a gossipy tone.

"In Beauxbatons, it's a hot topic. Some people think you two were a couple, but the lady was dumped by you, so she got angry and launched an attack at the Quidditch World Cup. Oh, of course, I know she's in that horrible prison now, but... oh, no offense, but it's in line with Hogwarts tradition, isn't it?"

"Hogwarts tradition?"

Now, Amosta was genuinely confused.

"It's just a rumor."

Hibiscus fluttered her sexy eyelashes, her eyes sparkling in the firelight.

"Gattler Grindelwald was sent to Nurmengard by Albus Dumbledore, the current headmaster of Hogwarts. Rumor has it that they—"

Cough!

Amosta coughed loudly a few times, interrupting Furong's words; otherwise, if the old man outside came in and started to rage, he might not be able to stop him.

"Please, Miss Delacour--"

A few dark lines appeared on Amosta's forehead.

"When you get back, please tell your classmates that the person who attacked the World Cup was just a black witch I've been trying to capture. She's very cunning, and as you all know, she's incredibly skilled; she once escaped from my grasp."

"that is it?"

Hibiscus was clearly not satisfied with the answer Amosta provided.

“Miss Delacour, you left your principal and classmates to come to my office just to ask about this?”

Amosta said with slight displeasure.

"In my opinion, after such a long journey, you should go back to your lodgings and rest well. Wait until you are fully recovered before registering for the Goblet of Fire. I remember you told me that you were very confident in becoming a champion of Beauxbatons. I hope that in the end it won't become a joke."

"Wow, nobody's better than me in Beauxbatons!"

Hibiscus tossed her high ponytail and said confidently. She had clearly sensed Amosta's displeasure, so she toned down her flamboyance and shrugged.

“I’ve come to see you because we are guests, haven’t we, Mr. Blaine? I think Hogwarts should show us around, and you are the only person I know at Hogwarts.”

Amosta pursed her lips; Hibiscus had certainly found a good excuse.

“I believe this is a perfectly reasonable request, Amosta—”

Just as Furong was eagerly staring at Amosta as she agreed to the task, a slightly amused, aged voice suddenly came from outside the door.

Amusta glanced at the suddenly panicked Hibiscus and smiled knowingly.

"Please come in, Headmaster Dumbledore—"

Dumbledore, a smile on his face, pushed open the door and entered. He looked at Fleur, who had stood up and seemed a little flustered, and widened his eyes slightly, feigning surprise.

"Ah, if I remember correctly, you must be Miss Fleur Delacour—"

Dumbledore said with a smile,

"Mrs. Maxim mentioned you to me. She spoke highly of you and thought you were the most likely to represent Beauxbatons' students."

"Oh, thank you, Headmaster Dumbledore—"

Furong blushed and spoke timidly.

Mrs. Maxim had always told them that even though Amostrabe Blaine was at the height of his fame, the greatest wizard in the European wizarding world was still Albus Dumbledore. In the past, she had dismissed this argument, but when she actually faced Dumbledore and those penetrating and intelligent blue eyes, she realized that this old man who had lived for more than a century was extraordinary.

"Ah, did I come at the wrong time, Amosta—"

Dumbledore looked at Amostella and said with a hint of apology,

"I just saw Ludo off, and my stomach is about to give out from drinking too much mead at the dinner party, so I thought I'd come here to find you for a walk—"

"Oh, sorry, I'll be leaving now."

Before Amostella could speak, Fleur spoke first. She went around behind the sofa, head down, and walked towards the door, but after only two steps, she suddenly stopped, mustered her courage, and looked at Dumbledore.

"Headmaster Dumbledore, when did you arrive—"

"While you were just discussing some interesting Hogwarts traditions with me, Headmaster Dumbledore had already been standing outside the door for two minutes—"

Amosta said jokingly.

"Ah, I didn't hear anything--"

Dumbledore placed his hands clasped under his stomach, tilted his head back, and stared with great interest at the rough texture of the stone tiles on the ceiling, as if it were a beautiful painting. But then he immediately said...

“However, I think Miss Delacour’s suggestion is quite reasonable. We should show our guests, who have come from afar, Hogwarts’ long and rich history. I think you are a suitable candidate, Amostella. No one knows Hogwarts better than you—”

The poised and capable Furong was caught between two cunning old foxes, trembling like a little white rabbit, completely at a loss as to how to deal with the awkward situation.

"Understood--"

Seeing Hibiscus's desperate attempt to burst through the floor and jump to the next level, Amosta sighed softly.

"I'll arrange the visit to Hogwarts, Miss Delacour. If there's nothing else, I suggest you return to the carriage and rest as soon as possible so you'll have enough energy for tomorrow's Hogwarts tour—"

Fleur clenched her fists, glared at Amosta with a hint of resentment, and then took a step to leave. However, she stopped a second time, turned back, and ran to Amosta's desk. Under the curious gazes of Dumbledore and Amosta, she tore off a blank piece of parchment from the desk and hastily wrote her name and Beauxbatons on it.

Good night, Mr. Blaine, Headmaster Dumbledore—

Fleur clutched the parchment in her hand and fled Amosta's office as if escaping a disaster.

"Ah, what an interesting little girl—"

Dumbledore chuckled, his silver beard ruffled by the cool breeze that rushed into the office as the door opened and closed. He looked at Amostella, seemingly expecting some kind of response.

“I think you really should go for a walk on the playground to digest the excess food you ate at dinner, Headmaster Dumbledore—”

Amosta spoke in a deliberately polite tone.

hula-

The wand fell, and the curtains were drawn one after another, suppressing the flames in the fireplace to a dim level. Dumbledore walked to the sofa and sat down, facing the wall shrouded in darkness. The darkness was lifted, revealing chaotic light and shadow on the wall. Amosta stepped forward, and streaks of silver light from his wand disappeared into the wall.

When Furong was here, the relaxed and comfortable atmosphere in the office was gone, replaced by a heavy and solemn oppressive atmosphere.

Looking at the enormous, increasingly orderly play of light and shadow on the wall, Dumbledore calmly inquired,

"Are you sure you won't be discovered, Amosta?"

"I've imbued the panoramic telescope I'm using to capture the images with powerful concealment spells that I know of, essentially eliminating the possibility of detection on every level—"

As Amostah finished speaking, a final glimmer of silver light left the tip of his wand and disappeared into the shimmering wall. The entire scene trembled briefly before becoming crystal clear.

The scene shown above depicts a huffy Fleur Delacour stepping over the silvery-white age line that Dumbledore had personally set up earlier in the dimly lit foyer, and dropping a piece of parchment bearing her name into a wooden cup burning with blue and white flames!

Chapter 559 Karkaroff's View

2023-10-27

Late at night, the howling of the fierce wind across the Hogwarts campus mingled with the endless sound of the lake water crashing against the cliffs, creating an atmosphere somewhat reminiscent of the coast.

Because of the Triwizard Tournament's selection of warriors, the gates of Hogwarts Castle were wide open today. The cold wind blowing into the castle and passing through the foyer sounded like the wailing of a female ghost. Inside the foyer, the flames from four huge torches and the Goblet of Fire on the high platform illuminated the foyer as bright as day.

Cedric Diggory of Hufflepuff, surrounded by several classmates, sneaked into the foyer through a basement passage on the first floor. After confirming that no one was around, he chuckled as he crossed the silver age line surrounding the Goblet of Fire, tossed his parchment with his name and house into the blue-white flames, and after confirming that the parchment hadn't been thrown out of the Goblet of Fire, the group cheered enthusiastically before sneaking away.

This scene has happened several times in the past few hours.

"Diggory has a very solid foundation and works very hard. He did well in my physical education class, and I think he has a good chance of representing Hogwarts as a champion—"

In the dimly lit office, Amosta leaned back on the sofa, holding a cup of hot tea with wisps of steam rising from it, and spoke casually.

"Pomona will be very happy--"

Dumbledore carefully removed the biscuit crumbs from his beard—he had probably devoured the whole box of mildly flavored pastries by himself.

“I have always believed that Hufflepuffs should be rewarded for their kindness, loyalty, hard work, and down-to-earth qualities.”

"Dumbledore said sincerely."

Amosta nodded slightly in agreement.

After the other three founders of Hogwarts passed away, Helga Hufflepuff became the first headmistress of Hogwarts. In that era when wolves surrounded the school, Hufflepuff single-handedly held on to the school. In order to keep the school running smoothly, she almost emptied her personal and family wealth.

Moreover, according to internal records.

It was Helga Hufflepuff who brought the house-elves into Hogwarts. In an era when Muggle students were considered as insignificant as dust, Helga's actions demonstrated her kindness. Amostella had also considered this matter. Perhaps Helga Hufflepuff's idea stemmed from Gryffindor and Ravenclaw sharing with her the tragic plight of the house-elves in the hidden realm beneath Azkaban.

Time flowed quietly, and several more groups of curious youngsters arrived at the foyer to register for the Goblet of Fire. Amostella roughly estimated that about a quarter of the Hogwarts' school-aged young wizards had made a trip to the foyer that evening.

As night fell, the halo of light, blurred into an irregular shape by the thick clouds, had drifted to the other side of the horizon. In the student safety office, Amosta and Dumbledore no longer spoke; they each quietly held their books, immersed in the ocean of magical knowledge.

clatter--

As the clock's hour hand moved forward a notch, and the time came to one o'clock, amidst the eerie wailing, a group of footsteps suddenly approached. Amosta promptly put down the spellbook in his hand and pointed his gaze at the screen.

"How are you feeling, Viktor? Can you keep going?"

Durmstrang's group stepped into the light and shadow emanating from the Goblet of Fire and torches. They were all draped in thick fur cloaks, and almost everyone except Karkaroff looked listless. Viktor was particularly bad; his thick, dark eyebrows drooped listlessly, and the dark circles under his eyes were very noticeable even on his dark-skinned face.

Faced with Karkaroff's concern, Viktor simply shook his head in silence, then blew his nose heavily.

"You can take some tranquilizers when we get back, Viktor. The rest, you'll just have to rely on yourself."

Karkaroff looked a little annoyed. "It is indeed warmer here than where we are, but I didn't expect you to have trouble adjusting to the British climate—"

"Why don't you take Viktor to the hospital, Karkarov?"

Behind Karkaroff, a gaunt little boy spoke timidly.